Meet Isabel Puddles by M.V. Byrne is the first book in the NEW “Mitten State” cozy mystery series, coming November 24, 2020.
The only thing widow Isabel Puddles loves as much as her hometown of Gull Harbor on the shores of Lake Michigan is cozying up to a good mystery–but she never expected to be caught in the middle of one. . .
To the tourists and summer residents, Kentwater County is a picturesque community of small-town charm, fruitful farmland, and gorgeous freshwater beaches. To middle-aged widow Isabel Puddles, it’s where she enjoys breakfast every morning at a local café with her childhood best friend and spends her evenings cozying up with a good book and her devoted Jack Terrier, Jackpot. In between, Isabel makes ends meet through a variety of trades–preserving pickles, baking pies, working the counter at her cousin’s hardware shop, and occasionally helping “fix-up” the hair of corpses at the local funeral parlor.
When Isabel discovers a two-inch nail embedded in the skull of Earl Jonasson, it seems the octogenarian may not have died of a stroke. His son is quickly arrested when his alibi doesn’t check out. But Isabel has known Earl Jr. since they were kids and can’t believe he’d murder his own father, regardless of his financial difficulties. As gossip about Earl Sr.’s land and insurance policy money starts to spread around the county, Isabel finds herself conducting her own investigation to clear her friend’s name. But real detective work isn’t like Jessica Fletcher’s Murder She Wrote mysteries, and she’s meeting dangerous suspects who don’t like Isabel poking around in their business. . .
Dru’s Musing:
This was a fun book to read. This was a well-executed whodunit with a comfortable tone making it easy to follow along with what the author intended. We are introduced to Isabel Puddles who is a jill of all trades, working several jobs to make ends meet. It is one of those jobs that has the protagonist in the debut series investigating a murder where mischief and mayhem is present in her small community. The author did a great job in staging this whodunit where the pacing was on par with how well this story was told. The narrative was engaging, character development gave us the backstory. With help from her friends, Isabel was able to corral the suspects while looking for clues that would lead to the apprehension of the guilty person.
Yeay the Brooklyn libraries are accepting orders again. I’ll be picking it up at the Mill Basin Branch which has parking.